


Her Last Chance

by undermyumbreon



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Food is People, Gen, Hospitals, I put the violence tag on just in case but there is only a little, ItsStillBeautiful, Post Season 3, Post TWOTL, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7750369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undermyumbreon/pseuds/undermyumbreon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bedelia wakes to find herself at her own dinner table along with something else of hers. What will the outcome of this dinner party be? Reblog/Like on Tumblr:<br/>http://nbchannibalopinions.tumblr.com/post/148864841783/her-last-chance</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Escape

     The room was quite dark. A few candles were lit on the table and in the corners of the room. Bedelia Du Maurier sat at the head of the table, her arms resting on her lap. She stared ahead, her eyes appearing dazed. Bedelia was trying to take long, deep breaths to prevent herself from panicking. She was still overcoming the drugging she endured hours before. She didn’t remember how she went from answering the door to sitting here alone.       
     In front of her was a large steaming dish. The words, “ _Meat’s back on the menu_ ,” rang in her ears as she remembered the warning Will Graham had given her. She was angry because she knew she had lost. It was her own flesh that had been prepared for the consumption of others. Her entire left leg had been cut off and arranged with leaves, flowers, and fruit for this ungodly dinner. She could feel pain starting to creep from the amputation source into the rest of her body, but the drugs were altering the rate at which it hit her. She had a fresh bandage around the wound.       
     Bedelia listened intently, noticing there was not much commotion. With a shaky hand, she reached up from under the table and carefully grasped the two prong fork that lay next to her empty plate. She carefully slipped it to her side and pushed the handle under her bandaged thigh as far as it would go to hide it from view. She did not have an exact plan, but she would not give up the chance to fight against her captors.       
     She heard muffled footsteps approaching and her heart jumped slightly. Looking up from her thigh through the dark and her hazy sight, she managed to make out Will Graham. He was moving tentatively to the table and took the seat on her right side. He sighed as he sat down, appearing to have aged ten years since the last time she saw him. It was no more than a year ago since he had been in her home. Right afterword, Hannibal made his appearance. He stood proudly over the feast.  
     “Tonight I have prepared Khalua Pit-Roasted Leg wrapped with Ti Leaves and a Tropical fruit platter,” He turned to Bedelia, “For our host, I’ve prepared a separate dish. It’s a simple oyster plate that I know she is well acquainted with.”  
     Bedelia was angered by Hannibal’s words. He was prepping her even more for further consumption like he had while they resided in Italy. Bedelia knew there was no way to convince him to halt his efforts at this point. Escaping was the only option.  
     Hannibal walked around the table and stood by Will’s side. He leaned over and began to untie a leaf wrapped around her leg. As soon as he unwrapped the first, Hannibal picked up a large knife and took a minute to cut through the meat and the bone. He used a small prong fork and the knife to hold and transport the slice onto Will’s plate. He grabbed the fruit platter afterword and placed several samples of fruit next to the meat. In a hushed, almost concerned voice Hannibal asked, “Is this enough?” to which Will gave an indistinguishable response. She assumed he had said yes because Hannibal moved himself to his end of the table to grab his plate and help himself fruit and meat.       
     As he served himself, Bedelia came up with an idea. Will had been very quiet since he entered the room. Perhaps he was struggling to live with Hannibal even though they both knew he couldn’t live without him. It could be a chance to test how faithful Will actually was to Hannibal.  
     “Will…” She said softly. He looked up at her, emotionless, “Observed, or participated?”  
     His eyebrows furled and he tilted his head, “Excuse me?”       
     “Did you observe or participate in this…” She hesitated, trying to find the proper word for her predicament.       
     “…dish that we went out on a limb to make?” Hannibal suggested. She looked at him with distaste.       
     “Yes…” She said, firmly. Her attention turned back to Will as he cut himself a piece of the meat and slowly brought it to his face. He appeared to inspect it before placing the bit into his mouth. It was very much a mannerism he adopted from Hannibal.  
     “I hunted down the game,” Will said nonchalantly looking directly back at her as he swallowed. Bedelia’s heart stopped cold. At that moment, she realized to her horror she was her only ally. Will was capable of brutal violence against her if he was the one who had drugged her. She already knew Will wouldn’t have helped her in the first place, but she had to accept he would try and stop her if she tried to escape instead of letting Hannibal and her hash it out alone.  
    At this point, Hannibal had finished setting his plate and was sauntering over to Bedelia to prepare her’s. Bedelia knew she had one shot at him and she couldn’t waste it. She would be dead if this failed. Hannibal offered a smile to her as he picked up the oyster platter, “I made it just the way you like it,” She moved her hand to her thigh and touched the tip of the fork.  
     As he leaned over to place an oyster on the plate in front of her, she slipped the fork out from underneath her thigh and jabbed it right into his abdomen. Hannibal let out a grunt and dropped the plate onto the table. Bedelia released her fork and grabbed the back of her chair. Using her other hand to balance herself by gripping the table, she swung her body around to face Hannibal and kicked her right leg into his stomach. He toppled backwards and landed on his backside, another low groan arising from him.  
     “Bedelia!” she heard Will yell, but she paid no attention as she grabbed her wine glass and threw it directly onto Hannibal’s head. It shattered into pieces as it struck the target. Out of the corner of her eye, Bedelia saw movement and knew Will was going to close in on her. She reached for the oyster plate in front of her and tossing it toward Will’s general direction, oysters flying everywhere. She heard a loud bang and yelp as the plate collided with Will’s face. Bedelia didn’t bother to stay and watch what happened next as she rolled to the floor and mimicked an army crawl to the main entrance of her house. She could feel her stitches rip open and a wet sensation spread around the amputation site.       
     Behind her, she could hear upset shouts, but she was too focused on getting to her car to distinguish exactly what was said. Her last effort to ward off the men was grabbing onto one of the legs of a small side table near the entrance-way and shaking it. The candles, flowers, and plates on top of it shifted and fell to the floor with a loud crash and a flash of light. Fire caught onto the throw rug and immediately began to spread.  
     Bedelia kept crawling to the front entrance. Her keys were in a small drawer by the door. She had to grab onto its side and hold herself up with her one knee as she grasped hold of the drawer’s handle and yanked it out. It fell with a clatter and she dug around inside for her keys. Bedelia spotted them right away, snatched them up, and proceeded to crawl to the door. Reaching up, she grabbed the handle and pulled hard to open the door enough for her to slip through. Behind her, she thought she heard more shouting and footsteps.  
     In her rush, Bedelia lost her balance and skidded down the front steps. She landed square on her back and pain shot into every facet of her body. Bedelia was stunned for a moment before she was able to sit up and resume crawling to her car, her adrenaline pushing her to continue onward. Fortunately for her, it was unlocked. She opened the driver’s side door of the vehicle and hoisted herself up onto the seat using her right knee and her arms. She was still feeling discomfort everywhere as she propped herself. The remaining section of her left leg was bleeding wildly.      
     After she shoved the car key into the ignition and started the car, she stepped on the gas and fled from her home. She looked into her rear-view mirror to see the two men run out into the middle of her driveway. The house was becoming illuminated with fire. Her heart was racing and blood was dripping onto her car seat. She only had one goal from here: stay ahead of Hannibal and Will and head to the hospital.


	2. The Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bedelia manages to make it to the hospital for treatment. Her next dilemma is finding a safe haven after the incident in her home. Who can she turn to and call to help her?

     Bedelia could not remember how she ended up in the hospital. The last thing she could recall was the fire that had consumed her home. She had been driving away from Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham. Bedelia didn’t know if they had attempted to follow her. She had woken up several times since the night before. She slowly came to realize that the small cot she laid in was not her own bed. She was no longer wearing the black sequenced dress. A long cream tinted hospital gown with tiny navy diamond shapes patterned the fabric. Bedelia now resided in a small bland room with a stranger snoring on the other side of a thin blue curtain. Her bed was closer to the hallway door and she could hear people walk, run, and get wheeled down the hallway. When a person approached the door, her heart sped up, afraid either Hannibal or Will had managed to sneak into the hospital and find her.  
     The doctors and nurses that claimed to have worked on her when she initially arrived at the hospital would check up on her progress. They helped fill in the blanks of her memory from that eventful night when she was conscious enough to retain the information they gave her. According to one of her doctors, Bedelia had arrived to the hospital blasting her car horn in the parking lot. Bedelia was found bleeding profusely from the amputation site. The staff was amazed that she had managed to drive herself to the hospital and that she was semi-conscious when they found her. She had been brought in immediately and stabilized. Bedelia had lost a lot of blood between the amputation itself and the open wound.  
     When they asked about the amputation’s occurrence, Bedelia decided to lie to the staff. Telling them that Hannibal had done it to her would have created more issues for her, especially when the nation was unaware that the duo was still alive. Bedelia weaved a story about forgetting what had happened to her. All she claimed to remember was that she had suddenly blacked out after answering her door. She woke up with her leg missing and bleeding wildly at the amputation site. When they asked about the stitches that they found on the wound, Bedelia explained she had some medical background and had done them herself to slow down the bleeding. They had come undone when she tried to transport herself to her car. She did not know who had been at the door or what else they did while she was out. She assumed that they stole some of her more valuable belongings as she was a woman known to be of high status. The doctors seemed unsure of her story, but with no other explanation to clear up the amputation’s occurrence, they believed her.  
     That evening, the local police came to her room. They told Bedelia that her house had been burned down to the ground. Everything had been lost to the fire and nothing could be salvaged. Bedelia pretended she didn’t know this had happened and wore a shocked face. When asked about the events that had come prior to the fire, Bedelia told the same story as she had to the doctors and nurses. To her luck, the police also believed her. From the encounter she told the police, they assumed the culprits had tried to burn the evidence within the house after she had left the premises. It would be hard to distinguish what they stole and what was lost to the fire they admitted. That night, Bedelia broke down for the first time in months while her roommate snored softly behind the curtain. They were fortunately unaware of how fast Bedelia’s life was deteriorating before her.  
     In the proceeding days, nurses would come to her room to check on her vitals. They were always normal, which gave Bedelia some hope for whatever aftermath would follow her hospital stay. The nurses would first change her dressings. They would then give Bedelia her medication to help ease the various pains she was enduring. One type of pain that Bedelia experienced had manifested itself as if her amputated leg was still attached to her body. The pain usually came and went, but it was often a shooting or throbbing pain. The nurses explained that she had a phenomenon called phantom pain. Bedelia was prescribed different medication to target the specific discomfort for after her hospital stay if the pain persisted. The nurses would help Bedelia stretch to prevent bed sores, but this activity was often uncomfortable for her. She pushed through them as best as she could. Bedelia had lost everything, but she would grab at as much strength as she could muster. After the nurses had left each morning, Bedelia would spend most of the time asleep or worrying over the next course of action she would have to take after she was released from the hospital. There were moments when Bedelia’s roommate would try to start a conversation with her to take her mind off of the amputation, but it was only a temporary fix.  
     After a week had passed, a doctor came in to Bedelia’s room and woke her from her mid-afternoon slumber. She was greeted with the news that her stay in the hospital would be coming to a close the next morning. There were no complications with the amputation that appeared to be a concern. Everything was healing as it should be. Bedelia would have to take the prescribed medications and seek out a physical therapist to help her adjust to life with an artificial limb. The last comment the doctor made was that Bedelia would have to contact someone to pick her up.  
     Bedelia left the doctor with a relieved grin as they exited the room, but as soon as the door closed she felt anxiety overwhelm her and her smile dropped. She still had no definite plan in mind. Where would she go? Who could help her now? Her house was gone and she did not have another place under her possession to stay in. How would she be able to begin physical therapy when she had to hide away from Hannibal and Will? She had the means to find a new place to live, but would it be safe enough for her? She could think of only one person that would possibly side with her after some convincing. After some thought, she knew it was her best shot to receiving some type of security and help. Like hell she would give up so easily after sacrificing almost everything she had so she could survive. Like hell she was going to let Hannibal kill her. She was done flirting with the idea.  
  
  
     A car pulled up in the express lane in front of the hospital the next morning. It parked right beside Bedelia and the nurse who had wheeled her outside. A car door opened and slammed shut. Bedelia smiled as the driver came around the front side of the car.  
     “Special Agent Crawford,” she said warmly.  
     “Former Special Agent,” Jack Crawford extended a hand and Bedelia took it, “It’s nice to see you again,” he said flatly.  
     “Rekindling an old connection can be quite an interesting experience depending on the circumstances,” she released his hand.  
     “I prefer to stay in the present. Shall we forget the hardships of the past between us?”  
     Bedelia maintained her smile, “I think that would be appropriate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (CHAPTER 2) I used these resources to try and write a more accurate account of what Bedelia may experience while in the hospital. Please excuse any misinterpretations or incorrect information.
> 
> http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/definition-amputation#2  
> http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/phantom-pain/basics/definition/con-20023268


	3. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the way to Jack Crawford's residence, Bedelia and Jack talk about what really happened to Bedelia on the night she was emitted into the hospital.

     The car ride to Jack Crawford’s home felt lengthy. Bedelia sat in the passenger’s seat as Jack drove. For the first several minutes, the trip was mostly silent. Their past interactions had not paved way to an easy means for conversing. Bedelia felt unwell and fatigued. Pain was pulsing through her body. Her phantom pains had not ceased within the last few days in the hospital. She tried to watch the scenery outside of her window, but it did not distract her enough from her ails. Whenever they were to arrive at Jack Crawford’s place, Bedelia decided she would take her medications.  
     Jack’s voice abruptly pierced the silence, "I’m assuming you contacted me because the people who attacked you were not your average goons,” When Bedelia didn’t respond, he continued, “Will you be honest with me about that night?"  
     Bedelia sighed and redirected her attention toward him. It felt tiring to even consider speaking, but it would be best to get the details out now while she had the chance, "Yes, I promise the complete truth. There is no benefit for me to create falsehoods about the predicament I am in.”  
     Jack cleared his throat, "Can you tell me who did this to you then?"  
     Bedelia took a breath, "Hannibal did this to me," there was a long pause after her statement. Bedelia immediately expected Jack to exclaim that she was lying to him, but he surprised her.  
     "Tell me what happened on that night.”  
     She sighed again, "I answered the front door when I heard a knock. I was immediately ambushed by an unknown figure. I am uncertain of the exact occurrences that transpired while I was unconscious. However, when I became aware of my surroundings, I remember finding myself seated at my own dining table. My left leg had been removed from my body-“ she swallowed, trying to push through the gruesome memory, “Hannibal had prepared a grotesque meal using my flesh. I saw Will Graham in my home with Hannibal when he joined me at the table. I knew they had both participated in incapacitating me. Will Graham had confessed to drugging me upon arriving to my home. I assume Hannibal performed the amputation...” Bedelia trailed off, turning her head to look out of the side car window once more.  
     When Bedelia didn’t continue her story, Jack pressed for answers, "Why did they come after you?"  
     She resumed, quieter this time, "Hannibal wishes to consume me. He wants to have control over my life and my inevitable death. My past actions have not pleased him and he wishes to punish me for them. Will Graham seems to have sided with Hannibal's motives and harbored them as his own. He is lost in the seas of Hannibal's control, but he appears to swim willing with the currents instead of against them."  
     “How did you escape?”  
     “I managed to fight back. I stabbed Hannibal with a fork and threw various objects from the table at both him and Will Graham before I attempted to crawl to my car. I had managed to knock candles off of a table and onto the floor to ward them off. I’ve been told that my home has been completely obliterated from the fire that began after the flames spread across my carpets-”  
     Jack interrupted, "I remember reading about the fire in the state newspapers. I’m sorry you lost everything."  
     Bedelia leaned back in her seat, "I can make do without my residence for the most part. Unfortunately, I had to sacrifice all of my beloved possessions in order to survive the two of them. It’s the type of catastrophe I don’t believe I could experience again in this lifetime without falling completely apart.”  
     Jack seemed to ignore her realization as he asked his next question, “How did you manage to make it to the hospital? Did Hannibal and Will follow you?”  
     Bedelia thought over her escape, but the details were fuzzy in her mind, “The last thing I can recall is the image of my house ablaze as those two men ran after my vehicle. I can only remember my hospital room after that experience.”  
     There was an extended  quiet between them. It spanned several minutes, giving Bedelia’s pain enough time to creep back into her body and snag her attention. When Jack finally spoke again, she felt comforted by his words, “I will start a search for Hannibal and Will. It’s not going to be easy to find them, especially when you were unable to see where they headed off to. It won’t be easy to convince the rest of my team that those two are still alive, but I’ll do what I can,” her relief was replaced with unease at his next question, “What will you do now Miss Du Maurier?”  
     "I don’t have a place to stay,” she admitted, embarrassed, “I don’t have security to protect me. The places I could possibly seek refuge in I am certain Hannibal already has knowledge of. I lack acquaintances that could understand the full weight of this situation. I do not wish to put them in danger in the first place.”  
     “So you’ve decided to contact me and put me in harm’s way instead?” Jack broke out into a smirk.  
     “That was not my intent,” Bedelia felt an easy grin form on her own face, “You are the only one that would not take me as a deceiver, at least, in this instance. You said yourself you could tell I was here for business and not for antics.”  
     “Well-“ Jack sighed, “I’ve been through hell before. This type of threat isn’t anything new to me. I think you should stay with me until we have your situation settled out.”  
     Bedelia was taken aback by the kindness Jack exhibited, but she knew it would be inadvisable to move in with the special agent, “I am flattered by your offer, but surely Hannibal will return with Will Graham and appear at your residence. They will take me hostage once more and dispose of you."  
     "Then I believe I can arrange for you to meet and stay with some people who are well acquainted with a situation similar to yours. Until then, you should stay at my place until we have everything settled for your recovery."  
     Bedelia smiled, but it quickly disappeared from her face, “I wonder who else could possibly understand what I have endured.”  
     Jack let out a deep laugh, “You would be surprised,” Bedelia chewed on this proclamation. If Jack had believed her story, she would believe in his promise. As the conversation ended, she tried to sleep the rest of the car ride to Jack’s residence.

**Author's Note:**

> (CHAPTER 1) The meal is based off of a drawing done by Janice Poon from a year ago:  
> https://twitter.com/bryanfuller/status/637821817797804032


End file.
